8 week challenge!

I am realllllly excited about this! The hubs and I are doing an 8 week fat loss program from Fitnessblender. If you guys haven't used this site go take a look. It is really great. You do not need to pay for any of the programs, you can just pick videos at random for free whenever you please. I decided to pay 10 bucks for an 8 week challenge to kick my booty (my not nearly as firm and perky booty) into gear. The second baby really does a number on the bod. I feel like there is just a lot of extra...squish and jiggle.

The challenge boasts an average weight loss of up to 8-24 lbs. That would be great as I have about 12 lbs to loose to get back to my pre-baby weight. The program is geared towards busy people and the workouts are all 30 mins or less. That is pretty AWESOME. I hate marathon workout sessions and honestly...who the heck has time for that? The first item on the to do list for the program is to perform a little fitness test to get some baseline numbers. We were to run a mile, do push-ups until our form suffered, squats until our form suffered, plank until exhaustion and then we were to measure how far we could reach past our toes.

Okay so let's get started with some pre program (that we have decided to dub the Team Schrader Shred ha) stats.

Jess pre-shred

Weight- 139lbs
L Bicep- 10.5 in
R Bicep- 10.5 in
Tummy- 39 in
L Thigh- 23 in
R Thigh- 22in

1 Mile Run- 9:06
Pushups- 29 girl push-ups (ugh...sad)
Squats- 97
Plank- 1:33
Reach- +7in

Dustin pre-shred

Weight- 203lbs
L Bicep- 15.25 in
R Bicep- 15.25 in
Chest- 46 in
Tummy- 39 in
L Thigh- 22.5 in
R Thigh- 22.5 in

1 Mile Run- 9:06
Pushups- 46
Squats- 40
Plank- 1:00
Reach- +2


Alright so not THAT bad but definitely excited to see the improvements as we get started!

Crazy lil Thing Called Life

Holy Cow Folks! If I thought I was busy with just the one kiddo...I was wrong....oh so wrong. Two kids is seriously awesome but at the same time having two under two is pretty serious business. I have obviously been neglecting the blogging world for the last six months but come on...cut me some slack. I was gestating and nurturing! Anyway...I am back to blog about my ideals.

I realize that this blog is nothing new. A mom of young kids trying to do the best she can to create balance and a healthy environment for her littles. I will not pretend that I have any awesome advice or never before heard of tips and tricks, but I do hope that other moms out there  feel a little sense of solidarity. Us against the world (well...sort of...I guess...okay maybe not against the world...you know what I mean). Of course this blog doesn't have to be for moms....it can be for anyone but since having kids I have definitely dedicated the majority of the blog to kid related stuff. Bear with me non moms. There will still be some cool Eco friendly reviews and healthy recipes.

I feel like I need to write a parenting book. Everyone should buy it, okay? It is going to be epic (I use that word in jest because I loathe it's overuse). The book is going to have at least 1000 pages. The pages will be blank. Totally blank. Why you ask? Because there is not a single book out there that will make parenting any easier. I have personally found that most books do not help at all, in fact I will venture to say they make you feel like a total failure and riddle you with parental guilt. My book will be the total opposite. The purpose will be to jot down a few things here and there about your own parenting adventure. I mean let's be honest...every adventure is different. I have been rather amazed at how different the newborn stage for my son has been than my daughter. I have also been amazed that even though it was less than two years ago...I don't remember anything about that stage. It must be some sort of self preservation mechanism. There is another purpose of the book as well. The second (and maybe most important) purpose of the book will be to write down any judgy thought, feeling, comment, dream, nightmare etc. that anyone has ever told you or that you have thought to tell another parent. Just write it down and let it go. I quote the words of Thumper, "If you don't have anything nice to say...don't say anything at all". I really feel that the only thing anyone should ever say to a parent is, "Good job! Keep doing your best!".

It's really funny (ironic maybe?) how judgmental one can be when they are not in the shoes of the judged. I am guilty. You are guilty. We are all guilty. A wonderful friend of mine shared her thoughts and feelings on the subject with me over gelato (mmmmmmmm gelato). My sweet friend is a fellow nurse and mother of 4 kids. She is so totally zen. She gives me hope for the future...you too can reach this level of zen young grasshopper. She told me that she has reached a place where she doesn't care what other people think. She does her best and that is enough. I personally feel like her best is better than most bests but we are always harder on ourselves. She mentioned that every person is fighting some sort of battle. I love that quote but often forget it. I have never felt more judged than I do now that I am a parent. It's good to remember that we are all just doing our best and fighting our battles.

Leftovers!

I have a lot of leftover turkey from Christmas dinner. Let's just say that the turkey wasn't ready for dinner so there was an entire turkey that needed to be divied out to various households. I was trying to come up with a recipe to use up some of that turkey. I combined a few recipes and came up with a decent casserole recipe. This isn't the most amazing recipe I have ever made but it serves it's purpose and I thought it was pretty darn tasty. Hubby and baby enjoyed it too!

Leftover Turkey Casserole

1 cup skim milk
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups part skim cheese
1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup peas
2 cups diced turkey breast
1/2 onion (optional...I didn't use any onion because we didn't have any but it would be a good addition).
4 cups brown rice (cooked)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine 1 cup skim milk with cornstarch in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of cheese and 1/2 cup of yogurt. Salt and pepper to taste. In the microwave, team the carrots and peas until tender. Combine the veggies, rice, and sauce in a 9x13 casserole dish. Cover with remaining cheese and bake on 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

I am not impressed.

Hello readers! I have been MIA for a few weeks now. Why you ask? Well I have been super busy with school, work, the holidays, all day "morning sickness" and other first trimester pregnancy woes. Yes folks, you read that correctly...oops we did it again. :) Baby S. #2 is due to arrive in July. We are excited, scared out of our minds, but excited. Two kids under two will be a challenge but you know me...I like me a good challenge.

I have a confession to make. I am less than impressed with my commitment to health and wellness right now. I used to be so dedicated to healthy, clean, safe food for my family and I. Not so much anymore. I used to make my own mayonnaise for crying out loud. I don't know if it's the lack of time, the reality of life with kids or what but my health aspirations have greatly dwindled in the past months. I think it's pretty funny that now that I have a baby and I am currently pregnant I wouldn't be more concerned with eating healthy, minimally processed foods. All I want is processed food. I bought mayo the other day and I am slapping it on everything. I crave salty snacky food. I ate so much junk food over the holidays that I could literally vomit thinking about cookies or frosting covered treats.

I need a game plan people. I need a plan that will really work and that I can stick to. I am going to sit down with my eat clean book and start fresh. Will I be 100%? Nope. I won't. I really don't have the time or energy to make everything from scratch. But I can do better than this. I think that in the past my problem has been an all or nothing mentality. I feel if I can't do clean eating 100% then I should just throw in the towel. So not true. I can do 80%. Anyone can do 80%.  I don't want to be a family that lives on Mac and Cheese (although I will say it's at least Annie's natural brand so I feel a smidge better about it). I want to be the family that thrives on healthy food.

My plan right now is to get back into the groove of making crock pot meals and casseroles at the beginning of the week. I need something easy and healthy to grab and pack for lunches, serve for quick healthy dinners etc. I am also going to make some freezer meals. Some healthy homemade burritos, or homemade microwave meals that the hubby and kid can munch on when I am not home.

Substitutions I am starting. right. now.

• Flavored greek yogurt --- Plain greek yogurt with honey or fruit
• Clif bars --- Homemade granola bars, trail mix, almonds
• Flavored coffee creamer --- Almond milk in my coffee
• Goldfish crackers --- Natural cheese with whole grain crackers
• No veggies --- VEGGIES! I am so bad at veggies. I just don't incorporate a lot. 
• Buying my lunch --- Packing a healthy delicious lunch that I WANT to eat. This has been a big problem for me lately. I never want to eat what I make. 

I am ashamed to say that I already own this book and that I haven't cracked it open since having kids. That seems silly because I specifically bought it knowing that it would come in handy when I had kiddos running around. 

Walk of cloth diaper shame...

The following post makes me feel a little like a cloth diaper traitor! You guys know how I feel about cloth. I love it. I love the fluffy stuff but I have a confession to make. I hate cloth diapering at night. Yes hate is a strong word but it is a fitting word because I really do hate it.

Lets start off by going over my history with cloth at night. We started out using AIO (all in one) diapers at night. They worked fine when she was really little because we would change her a few times during the night. When she started sleeping longer stretches of time we realized we needed to come up with a new system to keep the leaks at bay.

Enter wool. Man I love wool. I am pretty sure that wool or "sweater pants" as the hubs calls them are pretty much the cutest things ever. Wool is great. You throw on a fitted diaper and cover with wool and you are leak free for HOURS. Wool is warm and soft and breathable. Love it. It was nice to be leak free! The sheets were dry every morning but I still wasn't happy.

One of the things I dislike about using cloth at night was how bulky the night diapers are. I have to use multiple inserts to keep her dry all night so she literally looked like J-LO at bedtime. It is so bad that sometimes she has trouble crawling because the diaper is just too huge. I try trimmer options but that just leads to leaks.

How would you feel if you had to sleep in a soaking wet cold diaper all night? Gross and uncomfortable right? I hate changing her diaper in the morning and feeling how heavy it is. Her little bum is be red and cold. Morning diapers are the worst part about cloth diapering. The smell they emit is God awful. I would rinse them out in the morning and they would STILL stink. Quite frustrating.

So...what am I getting at you say? I am saying that I have been using disposable diapers at night (insert gasp here). I struggled with this for a bit. I wanted to stick to my guns. I committed to cloth diapers and I didn't want to flake out. I gush about my love for cloth and I am a total advocate for it so how could I use anything but? I still feel a little guilty even talking about it but whatever. I made this choice for my kiddo. No more red bum in the morning. No more horrendous smelling night diapers. She's not cold and soaked underneath her wool covers. Her sheets stay dry. She can move around easier without the added padding of the bulky diaper.

I still love my cloth diapers. I think that they are great for the most part and I feel really good for what I am doing for the environment and for our wallets. BUT I also really like using disposable diapers at night. I guess I will need to learn to accept that different things work for different people.

Recipe Extravaganza!

I know it has been weeks since I last posted. Ooops! Don't fret dear friends, I have ooodles of recipes to share with you. Some of these recipes are DELISH. Some are terrible. I'll let you guess which ones are which. Just kidding...I will tell you.

I will share two of my fave recipes in this post Nom nom nom nom! My favorite was black bean and sweet potato chili. God I love the crockpot. I found this recipe on heandsheeatclean.com and I made a few additions/changes in my recipe. Make this.


Black Bean and Sweet potato Chili (original recipe from heandsheeatclean.com)

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes 

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with chilies

1 15 oz can black beans

1 15 oz can low sodium kidney beans

2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 lb turkey breast, ground

3/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp coarse grind pepper

2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1.5 cup chicken or veggie broth

Directions:

1. Put vegetables and beans in the bottom of the crock pot.

2. Layer ground turkey breast, spices, seasoning and broth.

3. Place lid on crock pot and cook on low for eight hours or high on four.

4. Carefully remove lid and stir chili. Adjust seasonings to taste.

5. Replace lid, cook for an additional 20-30 minutes on low. Serve.

This next recipe was also very good. I have a go to pizza crust that I ALWAYS make. I was feeling daring so I decided to branch out this time and try something new. This was hands down the best crust ever. It was so light and fluffy. This might just be my new go to pizza crust. 

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup unbleached flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp agave nectar

Directions

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until dough is formed. Knead dough with hands for five minutes. Form dough into a ball, place back in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes- 1 hour. 

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Remove dough from bowl. Knead for 1 more minute and roll out dough onto greased pizza pan. Cover with desired toppings and bake for 12-15 minutes. 

Stay tuned for the gross recipes. Just in case you feel like making something that no one will want to eat. 

Soup-er recipe!

I am a bit obsessed with the ole crock pot as of late. I really love soup, guys. I want to eat soup all the time. I know that some of you might find that odd. I live in Phoenix. It's 100+ degrees. Leave me alone. Soup is delicious and it's one of the few things that I can eat for "lunch" at work at 2am that doesn't make me feel slow and sleepy. I have also been sick lately. Something is wrong with my immune system and I am constantly under the weather. Soup is a source of comfort.

I try to make a BIG crockpot recipe, casserole, or the like every Sunday so that the hubby and I have something to take for lunch during the week. The hubs and I had date night at Postinos (I am going to go off on a tangent but you should TOTALLY go to Postinos if you live in the Phoenix area. So yummy.) and we had a delicious bowl of pasta fagioli. I decided at that moment that my next crock pot venture would be a big pot of delicious pasta soup goodness.

Pasta Fagioli

1 onion diced
1 lb ground turkey (you can use lean ground beef if you prefer)
1 clove garlic
1 cup carrots diced
1 zucchini diced ( I am unforts allergic to squash so I omitted this but I love squash so you should add it!) 
2 stalks of celery diced
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of white beans
1 jar of clean pasta sauce (I used light ragu- no sugar added)
4 cups vegetable broth (many recipes call for beef broth so you can do that if you want)
1 cup of pasta (I used whole wheat elbow noodles)
pinch of oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground turkey with the diced onion and garlic. In the meantime, throw everything in the crock pot. When the turkey is done....throw that in there too! I cooked the soup on high for 4 1/2 hours (until the veggies are tender) and then I added in the cup of pasta. Cook for an additional 1 hour and enjoy! Nom nom nom!